NOM's sad attempt to steal credit in the New York special election

  . . .when it looked as if Turner would win - he was leading in the polls coming into the final stretch - the hogs came to the trough. And the lead hog was the National Organization for Marriage.

Last night, Republicans won a special election in New York to replace former Congressman Anthony Weiner. Weiner had to resign after a ugly scandal regarding him allegedly sending lewd pictures over twitter.

This victory is considered an upset because it was supposed to be an easy victory for Democrats. Of course this is a ridiculous notion. There is no such thing as an easy victory in politics.

But still, folks didn't count on the Republican, Bob Turner, capturing the seat over David Weprin. And when it looked as if Turner would win - he was leading in the polls coming into the final stretch - the hogs came to the trough.

And the lead hog was the National Organization for Marriage. Weprin had voted for marriage equality earlier this year when the state passed the law allowing it. And now NOM wanted payback for that vote to the tune of $75,000 it spent on Turner's campaign. The organization also utilized a series of mailing and robocalls attacking Weprin.

But more than payback, NOM was trying to foster a claim that a vote for marriage equality in New York will get come back to haunt politicians. Brian Brown, NOM's president, had this to say after Turner's victory:

"NOM played a major role in this election, helping to organize the Jewish and Hispanic communities to coalesce with Republicans, conservative and other pro-family voters. We mounted the first and largest independent expenditure campaign in the race to make marriage a key issue, and we succeeded. David Weprin is not going to Congress for one reason: he listened to Andrew Cuomo, Michael Bloomberg, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and a few billionaires on Wall Street and went along with them to redefine marriage.

. . .Our message to the rest of the politicians in Albany who voted to redefine marriage is this: 'You’re next.' Once again voters have said: 'Don’t Mess With Marriage!"

Very few people are buying NOM's statement, seeing the organization as trying to salvage the embarrassment of losing the fight to stop marriage equality in New York, as well as trying sow seeds in its campaign to repeal the law.

Brown's statement omits several things. One was the fact that Turner was clearly leading before NOM interjected itself into the race. Secondly, the prevailing feeling is that the New York vote was decided not about marriage equality but sending a message to President Obama.

The Advocate had this to say:

Ask any analyst, and they will say the special election turned on the economy, opinions about President Obama, and to a lesser extent, U.S. policy toward Israel (a theme stirred when former New York City mayor Ed Koch, a Democrat for marriage equality, endorsed Turner in July to warn Obama to be a better friend to America’s closest ally in the Middle East). One week before the election, a Siena Research Institute poll showed Turner in the lead by six points, where 30% of voters listed the economy as their primary concern, followed by federal entitlements such as Social Security and Medicare at 28%, with Israel at a distant 7%.

Of course the retort would be that "The Advocate is a pro gay publication. Of course it will play down the marriage equality issue." But that opinion about this race was also expressed by the right-wing One News Now via an Associated Press piece:

Voter frustration over the sour economy and President Barack Obama's policies made the improbable a reality, as a Republican political novice, Bob Turner, scored an upset victory in a special election Tuesday over David Weprin, a Democratic assemblyman from a prominent local political family. The surprising results in the Brooklyn and Queens-area district portend a perilous national environment for Obama as he prepares to seek re-election next year.

NOM is simply trying to take credit for a victory that was already in the bag before it dropped its much-moneyed tentacles into the mix.

We will probably hear about it for a while. But like so much of its other claims, NOM taking credit for Turner's victory is a false narrative.

Marriage equality is a reality in New York and that's the bottom line.

It's time for the 'we need to protect marriage' con to die

Here we go again.

The North Carolina Legislature has passed a bill to allow its citizens to vote on a state constitutional amendment against gay marriage.

The majority of folks in NC are against this amendment but that is considered a minor detail by the organizations and people pushing it.

They are always quick to point out that other states which have polled against state constitutional amendments against gay marriage passed them when voters had the chance to register their opinions via the ballot box.

Of course the truth is not that simple. The untold narrative usually goes like this:

People in the targeted states are so generally worried about more pressing issues that they allow their legislatures to be the first salvo in what can be called an invasion, i.e. laying the groundwork by passing  a bill, thereby forcing constituents to vote on the matter.

Then an organization – usually the National Organization for Marriage – is the second part of the invasion via its virtually unlimited funds supplied by secret donors (which the group has fought tooth and nail not to reveal), that pays for the inundation of robocalls, mailers, and commercials spinning a multitude of lies about gays harming children or gays persecuting Christians, or gays causing all sorts of mayhem in general if the amendment is not passed.

At the same time, the organization stroke the egos of area pastors and public leaders. The organization, combined with these pastors and public leaders, gain votes by:

• picking a needless war with the gay community over the definition of “civil rights,”

• spooking people into thinking that God will literally send the Angel of Death to smite them if they don’t vote for the amendment,

• and scaring people into thinking that gays are going to knock down their front doors and cart them off to jail or convert their children if they don’t vote for the amendment.

The organization – again usually NOM – wins the vote and while it brays about how “the community stood up to protect marriage,” the community in actuality deals with strife, hard feelings, broken families, and generally not understanding why their votes to “protect marriage” hasn’t put food on their tables,  more money in their paychecks, or made their lives better.

It’s like some religious version of that Simpsons episode about the monorail. But instead of a faulty monorail, people are being sold a faulty premise that the biggest harm to their marriages are their gay and lesbian neighbors and if they make it difficult for these folks to marry, then somehow the real things that harm marriages – i.e. lack of communication or poverty (a subject none of these "we need to protect marriage" groups seem to ever address) will suddenly disappear.

It's time for this "we need to protect marriage" con to die. And it will. It could happen in North Carolina or Minnesota. Both states are facing anti-marriage equality votes next year. Or it could happen before then. But rest assured, it will happen.

As our economic crisis looms and Republicans go tete-a-tete with the President, people are starting to get hip to these distracting  amendment pushes which exploit their religious beliefs while doing nothing to solve the problems they have gaining employment, feeding their families, or paying their mortgages.

They say that a lie travels around the world before the truth has time to put on its shoes. What they always forget to mention is that when truth does put on its shoes, it usually makes up for lost time.

In the case of these phony “protect marriage” votes, I have a feeling that truth is just about to slap on its sneakers.

Ten years ago, gays were blamed for 9/11 and other Tuesday midday news briefs

Happy 10th Anniversary Of Being Blamed For 9/11 - Ten years ago, the late Jerry Falwell blamed gays for 9/11. Ugly anniversary.

She shares my name, not my support. Does she get to share my enthusiasm? - Unbelievable. NY Rep who voted against marriage equality in the state trying to take credit for its passage.

Anti-Gay Marriage Forces Converge On NY-9 - And speaking of New York, there is a special election today to replace Anthony Wiener in Congress. It looks like the Republican may win. NOM and the Family Research Council have been spinning a false narrative - and spending a lot of money - to claim that the Democrat's vote for marriage equality in the state legislature is leading to his possible loss. Of course this is a lie, as the article points out.

Bill To Repeal DOMA Attracts Record Number Of Co-Sponsors - Great news!

Sad State of Affairs in Africa - Things don't look good for us in the Mother Land.

Oregon GOP Removes Anti-Gay Language From Party Platform - Good news out of Oregon.

Racists and homophobes use the same lying tactics

Those on the right claim that opposition to marriage equality and opposition to interracial marriage is like "comparing apples to oranges."

If that's the case, then why do folks who oppose both use the same tactics?

Many who oppose marriage equality, like Bob Vander Plaats of the Iowa Family Leader, say that their opposition is because of the supposed "health risks" of homosexuality:



Just like racists (The Nationalist Coalition) who made the following video claim that interracial dating is wrong because supposedly African-Americans are a high risk group for sexually transmitted diseases.



Apples and oranges my foot. Strip away all of the lies and cherry-picked science and what you are left with are lies and fear tactics manipulated to exploit people's ignorance.

There is no difference.

Religious right group helped to craft NC anti-gay legislation

Some people - specifically in the gay community - underestimate the religious right. They fail to see how much power these groups have in spite of the wild words coming out of the mouths of their representatives. If you want a clue to the power of these groups, the following tidbit should give you an indication. The North Carolina legislature is presently debating an anti-marriage equality amendment. If it pass the legislature, it will be voted on in Nov. 2012. There has been a lot said about this amendment, which has just passed the House and now moves on to the Senate. But here is something you should remember:

Majority Leader Paul Stam (R) said the “public won’t get to speak because they will get to speak at the ballot box.” The proposed ballot initiative has been rescheduled to a May vote because Speaker Thom Tillis (R) wanted to remove the argument that the amendment was politically motivated by being on the November ballot.

During the Rules Committee debate, Stam acknowledged that he worked with lawyer Austin Nimocks in developing the language of the amendment. Nimocks works for the Alliance Defense Fund, an anti-gay Christian group, and he recently testified before Congress in defense of the Defense of Marriage Act.

According to Think Progress, the Allied Defense Fund has been known to spread falsehoods about marriage equality, including how it supposedly harms children and will lead to religious persecution.

But that doesn't matter, does it? All that matters is that the Alliance Defense Fund was able to work with NC legislators on this awful amendment in spite of its propensity to lie.

That's why it's necessary that the gay community work to expose the lies of religious right groups every chance we get. We need to make this exposures public and not assume that the public won't care. Sunlight is always the best disinfectant.

We need to start making the argument about them rather than us. The question should never be is the gay community deserving of equality. The question should be why are these supposed Christian groups engaging in lies and deception to keep that equality from becoming a reality.

Related post:

It's not enough to call them bigots

Gays in the military will cause Jesus's return? and other Monday midday news briefs

Retired Gen. Jerry Boykin: The DADT Repeal Will Cause The Rapture! - Forget war and famine. THIS will be the thing to bring Jesus back to Earth - gays in the military. But this statement confuses me. I thought folks like Boykin WANT Jesus to come back. If that's the case then shouldn't they support gays in the military?

NAACP Joins Maryland Marriage Fight - In Maryland as well as North Carolina, the NAACP is attacking the divide and conquer strategy of the anti-gay industry.

Minnesota Priest Advocates Ex-Gay Therapy, Compares Homosexuality To Adultery, Crime, And Addiction - Meanwhile, the homophobes try to carry on in Minnesota.

Anti-gay marriage amendment campaign hires communications director - I wonder how many "gays want marriage to corrupt children" commercials and flyers will he okay?

Wikileaks: Ugandan First Lady “Ultimately Behind” Anti-Homosexuality Bill - The sick source behind the possible genocide of the Ugandan gay community.

NC NAACP strongly rebuke the gay vs. black divide and conquer game

William Barber

Time after time, we have seen the forces against marriage equality play the black and gay communities against one another. The divide and conquer game has brought them a lot of success. With this in mind, they are now trying it in North Carolina as they attempt to push an anti-gay marriage amendment through that state's legislature.

However, the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP simply is not being silent. In fact, the organization is very vocal in its stance against the amendment.

NC NAACP President Rev. William Barber wrote an open letter to North Carolinians last week in which he not only strongly rebukes the potential amendment but the hypocrisy of the parties involved in pushing it. Part of this letter is as follows:

Our research shows that today shadowy money with connections to ultraconservative think-tanks and millionaires are financing a cynical move to trick some North Carolina voters in next year’s election by trying to place a state constitutional amendment onthe issue of “Same Sex Marriage” on the presidential election ballot. The Family Research Council has reportedly paid for radio ads, targeting both African American and White legislators who have large African American constituencies. The millionaires who fund these election tricks could care less about who marries whom. But they invest their money in issues that will affect who votes for whom. They tried to cut back on early voting and to make everyone wait in line at the DMV to get a picture ID before they can vote. Now they want to forever write discrimination into the N.C. Constitution as a means of affecting the presidential vote. The millionaires’ purpose is simple: They want to distract voters’ attention from our pressing economic problems to a personal issue of conscience–a matter best dealt with in our houses of worship and our consciences. This is a matter of conscience, not constitutions.

. . . The issue of same sex marriage is a matter of conscience — a matter of religious or moral perspective. It should be worked out within one’s conscience, within one’s faith, and within one’s own heart and faith community. The North Carolina legislature is not the modern day Council of Nicaea — and we should not want it to be. Public policy, not personal morality, is what we ought to address in the legislature. How should the government address the public policy challenges of abject poverty, unemployment, poor education, economic justice, caring for those without health care, and equal protection under law? 

These are the questions that the legislature should be addressing. We should not allow my tax dollars, and my beloved state of North Carolina, to put their beliefs into our state’s most important document, to dictate to the consciences of other people here. This is a matter of conscience, not constitutions

A vote on the same sex marriage amendment has nothing to do with your personal opinion on same sex marriage but everything to do with whether or not you belief discrimination should be codified and legalized constitutionally.

We need to stop for a minute and remember the history of amending the U. S. Constitution. Our nation had to fight a long and bloody civil war that our Constitution, on paper at least, began to expand its protections to all persons. The 13^th Amendment abolished slavery; the 14^th Amendment guaranteed all persons equal protection under the law, the 15^th Amendment provided voting rights regardless of race or previous condition of servitude, the 19^th guaranteed voting rights for [White] women, the 23^rd provided voting rights in presidential elections for residents of the District of Columbia, the 24^th eliminated discriminatory poll taxes in federal elections, and the 26^th provided voting rights for younger Americans. None of the other amendments ever restricted the rights of any persons, except the two that established, then repealed, prohibition. Similarly, the North Carolina Constitution has always expanded and extended the equal rights of all persons that is in the First Section quoted above. When we look at the history of our U.S. and N.C. Constitutions, there has never been an amendment to narrow their protections, but always to expand their protections to all persons, and to remedy past injustices.

The real insult to the Civil Rights Movement is that same regressive ultra conservative tea party type folks suing to overturn the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which many historians consider the most important achievement of the Civil Rights Movement, re-segregate and rob our public schools of valuable resources, block workers’ rights to organize, force us all to get photo ID’s to exercise our right to vote, cut back on the time to vote, and repeal the Racial Justice law, now somehow think the sons and daughters of the Civil Rights Movement can’t see through their Trojan Horse trick.

The ultra-conservative sponsors push their anti-gay amendment with one hand, and their restrictions on our voting rights with the other. They would write discrimination into our Constitution with one hand, but violate it by withholding enough funds for children to get a sound basic education.